[i]"Wait here with your bonded and I will call to Enro,"[/i] Nari told Solae. She made a gesture to two younger Syshin that lingered on the edges of the room watching and they scurried forward with tall stools carved out of tree stumps. Both proved to be a challenge for Solae to climb upon and so a female Syshin, whose plumage was a brilliant sapphire, lifted the marquise onto the furniture with ease. Rene watched this interaction pensively from his own seat. The Syshin were wary of their human visitors but treated them with respect. There was far more danger in acting with hostility than reserved polite distance.

As Nari moved away and the other Syshin retreated back to the exterior wall, the golden-haired noble turned to her savior soldier. "They don't have a word for... whatever we are to each other," she whispered. "If a Syshin is of proper age and are intimate, there is an expectation for procreation considering their more limited years for it. If you have not found a mate, you are single, just as human, but to be with someone is bonded," Solae further explained. "It is most comparable to marriage, but if I had said we were single and we had stayed, we would be expected to separate per their customs. I apologize I had to take liberties." She looked truly uncomfortable. To call any man she'd known for mere days more than a tryst was bucking Imperial societal norms and expectations. Though they had been tested exponentially more in the last thirty-six hours than many couple in a lifetime, relationships encompassed the past, present, and future. Rene and Solae had no past and no future as of yet.

Nari re-emerged from a room she had disappeared into moments before. With her was a Syshin that was over a foot taller than her and with a burgundy crest that fell from the apex of his height to just below his ribs. The gait with which he approached spoke of his authority in the community and, with Nari at his side, it was clear they were the twin leaders hat Solae had sought to speak with.

[i]"My sister tells me you speak Syshi,"[/i] he remarked. His voice was deep rumble that sent reverberations through the air both intimidating and soothing all at once. Enro and Nari sat side by side on a large carved wooden bench. Esoteric symbols flowed over the legs with such deft craftsmanship they evoked the imagery of water.

[i]"Yes,"[/i] Solae replied slowly. She bowed her head deeply, tresses of melted sunlight tumbling over her shoulder with the movement. Once again she humbled herself before her hosts. Syshin had begin to trickle into the hold to observe the proceedings and they gasped at the deference that was being paid. Commoners did not visit the encampment for they saw the alien race as so beneath them that even an appearance of interest would tarnish their reputation. That a [i]marquise[/i] among the upper echelons of the empire's beloved spoke Syshi, requested to be taken inside, and now honored them with etiquette that implied her study of their culture was unfathomable. This moment would be transcribed and repeated throughout history. It was not just a first for New Concordia but all of Syshin.

[i]"I have many questions for you, Solae. How did you come to know my tongue? Who is this you have brought with you? And why have you come to our home?"[/i] Although Enro spoke it was Nari that leaned forward with outward interest. The Syshin around had been quietly clicking at one another to communicate their surprise at the scenario before them. A few stared on in unabashed interest at the peculiar humans. Syshin did not regularly cross paths with Imperial Marines any more than an anointed lord or lady.

[i]"I was a translator at the Imperial Embassy,"[/i] she admitted as she raised her hand. Solae reached across the divide between the stools and took Rene's hand in her own. His stiff posture belied his anxiety at the foreign bodies crowded around them. This was not a situation they could or should escape and she hoped to impart reassurance through this innocent touch. [i]"May I tell you my story?"[/i]

Enro moved an arm to indicate she should continue but Solae began to cough into the crook of her free arm. There was a scurry of activity and a child Syshin sprinted forward with two bowls, one for each guest, filled with water so clear it was almost invisible within the earthenware. [i]"Thank you,"[/i] the linguist smiled as she drank generously.

The next half hour Solae spoke freely with no interruptions from Nari nor Enro. More Syshin crept into the hold until they had arranged themselves into rows, some sitting upon the lush grass, youth behind the reclining citizens, and adults standing farthest back. Because he could not understand Syshi Rene could do little but watch. As still and strange as her audience was they were enraptured by her tale.

It was here that Solae shone brightest. She had not been trained to handle weaponry nor was she enhanced sufficiently to be the most brilliant scientist of the empire. Others had numerous competitive edges on her in those pursuits. Her truest excellence was in storytelling. Instructors had taught her during her formative years that mastery of language came not from crude translation but learning how to effective relate thought, feeling, and understanding beyond fact. Waves of emotion swept over the Syshin as they empathized with her fear when the embassy was destroyed, her despair when she had learned her parents were dead, her desperation to stop the forces that now oppressed them both. Oanh and Min Ho were omitted entirely from her recollection but it was not questioned- they did not affect the tale's totality.

The hold fell quiet.

[i]"What would you have us do, Solae of the Empire?"[/i] Nari finally inquired.

[i]"I ask for your protection and help getting off-world,"[/i] Solae replied, [i]"but I will accept whatever you will freely give."[/i]

[i]"It is too dangerous!"[/i] a Syshin to their left hissed. [i]"If they are found we will all be killed! Let us turn them in for the bounty.[/i]

[i]"No human would ever pay a bounty to our kind,"[/i] another Syshin said as he stepped forward. [i]"You know it is true. They would find a reason to kill us and keep their money. They will not allow us to be more than this."[/i]

Solae pulled her backpack off her shoulder and opened it to reveal bottles that had been taken from Lord Armon's manor tucked safely inside. [i]"I can not offer much, but we brought these with us."[/i] Casting a glance to Rene she made eye contact with Enro and then Nari as she continued to negotiate. [i]"Help me now and I will pay what I can of the debt owed to your people. My home on this planet is no more, but should I survive I will build one anew and employ Syshin."[/i] This proposal set the entire room to talking over one another and Solae, for Rene's benefit only, repeated the sentences in common.

Syshin were employed by the Stellar Empire for labour only. Becoming a cook, a butler, or any other household servant was deemed above their capabilities as a non-human race. Had any noble taken on a Syshin gardener (proficient as they were with the care of vegetation) it would have been the talk of the sector if not the galaxy.

[i]"That is kind of you,"[/i] Enro said, [i]"but we can discuss that another time. We will shelter you for this night. Nari and I will discuss with our people what they wish to do and we will bring you our decision in the morning."[/i]

[i]"While you are here, we ask that you prove your intentions,"[/i] Nari followed. Though they were two distinct individuals the twin siblings spoke almost as if they were one. [i]"A few humans have come closer to the ship, looking for our bonded Syshin. Rene, bonded of Solae, will help us drive them away if they arrive before nightfall."[/i] Cross-breeding between the races was a physical impossibility, but deviance had never been limited to what pairings could reproduce. Humanity would claim they only laid with other humans but the truth was a more sordid past. Without the protection of a stable government, Amber Horizon was vulnerable to those who would want to toy with the 'underlings' if only to assert their dominance and power.

Solae paled but, with great reluctance, translated Nari's words to Rene. It was not her choice to make.